 A Black Sheep Coffee branch in Bishopsgate, London | |
| Industry | Coffee shop |
|---|---|
| Founded |
|
| Founder | Gabriel Shohet and Eirik Holth |
| Headquarters | Stockwell, London, England |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Coffee, tea, sandwiches, sweet snacks and iced drinks |
| Website | leavetheherdbehind |
Black Sheep Coffee is a British coffeehouse chain headquartered in London, England.
Black Sheep Coffee was founded in 2013 by Gabriel Shohet and Eirik Holth who had been flatmates together at the University of St Andrews. [1] [2] In 2014, they raised £23,000 on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter. [3]
In June 2019, Black Sheep Coffee raised £13 million, bringing the total raised to £19 million, all from private investors and valuing the business at £109.2 million. [3] Later that year, Black Sheep took over eight stores from rival Taylor St Baristas which was entering administration. [4] [5]
In 2021, Black Sheep received investment from basketball player Kristaps Porziņģis, to support expansion into the US. [6] In 2022, the UK government became a shareholder in Black Sheep Coffee when it was backed by the Future Fund, a scheme to support companies affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. [7] [8] By March 2023, Black Sheep Coffee had more than 50 locations in the UK. [1]
Black Sheep Coffee is known for using robusta coffee beans in its premium coffee, "at a time when everyone believed 100% Arabica to be the only premium species of coffee". [9]
Its shops offer a range of barista prepared coffees, smoothies, pastries, bagels, toasties, and Norwegian waffles. A number of shops serve alcohol of an evening, including espresso martini cocktails. [10]
Black Sheep Coffee's beans are available to purchase in-shop and online.
Black Sheep Coffee's shops are mostly concentrated within London, England, where it is headquartered. As of May 2023, 43 of its shops are located within London and 26 are located elsewhere in the United Kingdom. As of April 2024, they list 4 sites in UAE for planned locations. [11]
| Country | Number of locations |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | 69 |
 France | 1 [12] |
 Philippines | 2 [12] |
 United States | 2 [13] |
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